I posted a small introduction before but I wanted to reach out to the folks I am trying to emulate, the pig forum. This is our first shot so I will probably be in here quite a bit. I've been lurking for months and thoroughly enjoying it.
DISCLAIMER: WE WILL BE RAISING FOR PERSONAL USE, AS WELL AS PROFIT IN THE FUTURE
We are having a go at raising some pigs for the first time this spring. We have started working with a local blueberry you-pick operation that has excess pasture acreage they're tired of mowing. We will be installing a secure perimeter fence around 7 acres of open pasture during the next couple of months. Once the perimeter is set up, the plan is to establish 6 paddocks, each with the far end potentially reserved for stockpiling forage or supplemental gardens for the pigs. Long term, there is room to expand to as many as 30 acres of pasture and 20 acres of wooded areas.
Question: For fairly permanent paddocks, would you suggest poly wire, poly mesh, or a high tensile setup? Ideally'd I'd love to have field mesh wire, but that's not in the cards just yet.
We are going into this because the market around us is pretty thin when it comes to purchasing quality pork that was raised in a pasture based system. We will be experimenting with a few different breeds the first season. We would like to get 2-3 feeders of 3-4 different breeds and see what works best for our situation on this land. Is it possible to have 6-10 hogs of different breeds living happily together in a paddock?
We will butcher and evaluate our situation at the end of the year to see how we want to move forward the next spring.
Currently the biggest hurdle is the land owner's previous experience with pigs. He's worried that they will have a negative impact on his blueberry business next summer by keeping people from coming out due to the smell. We're working to do a few tours at other local farms to see how he feels about them. Back to the drawing board if it doesn't work.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Confessions?
Misc Background:
My wife and I are both Agricultural Engineers, but by training only, not in practice. We both were drawn to it because of the life it represented and we are ready to start working toward that.
We both still work traditional full times jobs as engineers and we live 10min away from the farm. The land owner is VERY interested in the project and if we get everything running will be able to help out during the day, and we will visit the farm every morning and evening for the foreseeable future. We also have some fairly cheap labor that will be able to take care of things as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read though this and thank you in advance for any replies. I need brutal honesty and sage wisdom as we're starting up.
DISCLAIMER: WE WILL BE RAISING FOR PERSONAL USE, AS WELL AS PROFIT IN THE FUTURE
We are having a go at raising some pigs for the first time this spring. We have started working with a local blueberry you-pick operation that has excess pasture acreage they're tired of mowing. We will be installing a secure perimeter fence around 7 acres of open pasture during the next couple of months. Once the perimeter is set up, the plan is to establish 6 paddocks, each with the far end potentially reserved for stockpiling forage or supplemental gardens for the pigs. Long term, there is room to expand to as many as 30 acres of pasture and 20 acres of wooded areas.
Question: For fairly permanent paddocks, would you suggest poly wire, poly mesh, or a high tensile setup? Ideally'd I'd love to have field mesh wire, but that's not in the cards just yet.
We are going into this because the market around us is pretty thin when it comes to purchasing quality pork that was raised in a pasture based system. We will be experimenting with a few different breeds the first season. We would like to get 2-3 feeders of 3-4 different breeds and see what works best for our situation on this land. Is it possible to have 6-10 hogs of different breeds living happily together in a paddock?
We will butcher and evaluate our situation at the end of the year to see how we want to move forward the next spring.
Currently the biggest hurdle is the land owner's previous experience with pigs. He's worried that they will have a negative impact on his blueberry business next summer by keeping people from coming out due to the smell. We're working to do a few tours at other local farms to see how he feels about them. Back to the drawing board if it doesn't work.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Confessions?
Misc Background:
My wife and I are both Agricultural Engineers, but by training only, not in practice. We both were drawn to it because of the life it represented and we are ready to start working toward that.
We both still work traditional full times jobs as engineers and we live 10min away from the farm. The land owner is VERY interested in the project and if we get everything running will be able to help out during the day, and we will visit the farm every morning and evening for the foreseeable future. We also have some fairly cheap labor that will be able to take care of things as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read though this and thank you in advance for any replies. I need brutal honesty and sage wisdom as we're starting up.